William Molinié / Photo credits: Handout / PARIS 2024 / AFP
The route of the Olympic flame is now known. She will leave Greece on April 27 and head to Marseille where she will arrive aboard the iconic three-masted sailboat, the “Belem”. Gérald Darmanin must, this Monday, unveil the device for securing the path of the flame. The precious torch will be monitored very closely.
From May 8 to July 26, the Olympic flame will travel across France from Marseille to Paris. Throughout her journey, she will be protected by a “guardian of the flame”. A soldier, a police officer or a gendarme will be specifically responsible for ensuring that it never goes out, including at night since they are even asked to sleep with it.
65 stopover towns
During the day, these guards will run alongside the torchbearers. The flame will stop in 65 stopover towns and pass through 100 emblematic sites in France. In addition to this guardian of the flame, other gendarmes and police officers will surround the person carrying the flame. The latter will have to intercept any person who emerges from the public and who approaches too close to the Olympic torch. “It’s almost the same system as for a high-ranking personality,” underlines a close protection specialist.
According to information from Europe 1, two security scenarios have been planned by Place Beauvau. A so-called “engagement” convoy which includes promotional vehicles, Olympic partners or even medical assistance and another, more agile convoy. Each time, there will be many bikers and vans and an anti-drone system will be systematically embedded in the convoy.